Means for nitrating guncotton.



G. FUSSELL.

MEANS FOR NITRATING GUNCOTTON.

APPLICATION FILED IIIAII. I, Ism.

Patented Mar. 4, 1919.

CI Hoz mm3 G. FUSSELL.

MEANS Foa NITRATING GuNcoTToN.

ABPLICATION FILED MAR. l, |917.

Patented Mar. 4, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

`wllllawllll ef'wselb Q2; E if@ GEORGE FUssELL, or Locxronr, NEW vonk.

y MEANS NITRATING G-UNCOTTON.

- To all whom t may concer/n.:

.Be it. known that I, GEORGE FUssELi., a

citizen of the United States of America, rey siding at Lockport, in the county of Niagara` andA State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for Nitrating Guncotton, of which the fol? lowing is a specification.

This invention relates tti-improvements in 10 means for nitrating gun cotton, and more particularly to the means for wringing the cotton'to remove excess acid.

In nitrating gun cotton, considerable dif. culty is experienced in preventing the cotton catching fire-after the excess acid is ex- -tracted, and while still in the nitrating apparatus. Thisoccurs largely because of the heat, due to1 friction, in the treatment of the cotton .and the combustible nature of the product. The excessive heat lcauses spontaneous combustion, and the practically dried nitrated cotton is destroyed, resulting in great loss of material andfmachinery, and considerable delay.. l l

The objects ot this vinvention are to provide a Wringerfor expelling excess acid -from `the gun cotton,` separating the acid from the treated cotton, and separating the -fumes and Acarrying same olf, the parts being so arranged that thecotton is simultaneously, centrifugally, spirally, and lvertifcally kept in motion, and is to a considerable 'A exten 'disintegrated to prevent. liability of spontaneous combustion. l 2

A further object of the invention is to, provide means for, preventing the cotton forming Wadsand sticking while-thef wringing operatlon isv progressing.

-A still further object of theA invention is 'to provide means for subjectingy the cotton to a water"- bath aterthe excess acid is removed t0 cool it and partially wash it.

A lstilli-urth'er object ofthe invention is i Specification of Letters Patent.

" pipe 3, formed with a to provide means for regulatingjheperiod Fig. 3 is a detail horizontal section on the line3-3,vof 'Fi 1.

Fig. 4 is a sie view of the feed screw. The numeral 1, indicates a circular stationary casing, provided at its lower endv 'with an annular gutterl 2, and communicating with the bottom thereof is an acid drain trap 4. Supported on top of the casing 1, is the iiange 5, of an annular perforated basket 6, which tapers downwardly and terminates within the inner end of' the gutter Y 2. spaced from the walls of the casing 1, to v form an annular passage 7 for the acid expelled through the perforations 6, the acid dropping into and is trapped in the gutter 2, and is carried o" through the drain pipe 3, the trapped acid forming a seal to prevent the fumes escaping.-

The, bottom plate 8, of the basket fits over the upper inner walls of-,the gutter 2, to form a seal, and to the center of the bottom plate 8, and extending aboveyand below the same is a hollow shaft 9, through which extends a vertical shaft 10. To the upper end of the shaft 10,' is secured the hub oi a spider 11, the outer ends .of the latter being bolted to the inner surface of a cone-shape hollow hub 12 of a-.screw .13. The lower edge of the hub 12, is cut away to form an exit openingfll, and adjacent the cut away portion a flat-spiral thread 15, commences. The flat 'spiral thread continues to a point near the top'iof the cone shape hub, and terminates substantially on a level with the upper.- flange 5, of the basket 6. The walls of the casing, and the walls of the cone incline in opposite directions, forming a restricted space at the bottom, and a wide exit at the top, the thread gradually .increasing in width as it approaches the upper end, the

. purpose of which. will be hereinafter set forth.

Depending the casing eating therewith is a draw-off iue 17, provided with a trap 18, and diametrically opposite thereto communicates with the gutterlt, above the normalwater level maintained bythe trap from the top of the outside of 18. Thisv pipe extends downwardly to con-l fumes away from the apparatus, as shown. Extending from the pipe 20, is a branch pipe 22, which communicates with 'the lower gutter 2, to convey the fumes therefrom.' 1

vey thev Patented Mar. 4, 1919. Application iiled March 1, 1917. Serial No. 151,772.

is a vent pipe 20, which also.

The basket is l.

v10o i 1, is a gutter 16, and communil A water supply pipe 23, communicates with the upper gutter, and is provided with two oppositely disposed nozzles 24, to suplply currents of water in 'twodirections tobeing thus formed between the plate and the top of the basket, through which the nitra-tedl cotton is thrown by the screw thread 15.

To the top of the cone-shape hub 12, is at-l tached a flange 24?, which snugly' lits .in anA opening formed in the plate 25,v and depending from this Hange is afeed chute 25, the

latter extendingdown into the cone-shape hub, and through, and belovs7 the spider 11, therein. Bolted to the flange 24a, is an upper iiange26, and extending therefrom-is a section 26a of a feed chute, arranged in alinement with, and forms a continuation of the chute-section 25a. The upper end of the feed chute section 26, is mounted in a bearing 28,

4and turnstherein, as will presently appear.

To the lower end of the vertical shaft 10 is fixed a pinion 30, and to the lower end of the hollow shaft 9, is fixed a similar pinion 31, one of said pinions being smaller than the' other to rotate the basket and the screw at different speeds.l Adjacent the shaft 10, isa driven shaft 32, and a driving shaft 33. To the driving shaft is secured a gear wheel 34, which meshes with the pinion 30 on the vertical shaft 10, and to the driven shaft 32, is secured a gear wheel 34, which meshes with the pinion 31, on the hollow shaft 9. On the driving shaft 33, is attached the female member 35, of a clutch, and to the driven shaft is attached the male member 36, the' latter being held in position byl the' usual spring, and is actuated to disconnect the clutch bya lever 36a. To the lever 36a, is pivoted a link 37, the upper end being secured to a brake 38, shown acting on the pinion 31.

. The gearing and the clutch just described are shown conventionally, it being understood that any wellY known mechanism may be employed.

In operation, power is applied tothe driving shaft 33, and through the gearing and` the clutchv the basket and the. screw' are rapidly rotated. Gun cotton, saturated with acid, is fed to the open end of the feed chute,

i and is delivered to the lower portion of the' interior of the cone-shape hub 12, below the spider 11, and it -fallsvon the bottom plate 8,

of the basket.' At this point it may be em-r phasized thatit is important that the entire construction .forming the walls of the` passages be as free from projectionsf and un even surfaces as possible, Yto Prevent the cotton accumulating 'and eventually forming wads. It is primarily for this purpose that theffeed chute is extended as shown, to in' sure ofF the delivery of the cotton to the rapidly rotating plate 8.

- The saturatedv cotton is delivered to the bottom plate 8, and by centrifugal force itis thrown' out with great force throughthe outlet opening' 14, and against the perforated' wall of thebasket. The cotton is now caught by the rapidly moving screw thread 15, and" is spirally elevated and centrifugally thrownv out against the perforated walls of the bas-` keta These various movementsim-parted to the cotton all serve to continuously and lalternately disintegrate the bers, -and centrifugally throw the mass against the per` forated wall and expel'the acid, and drythe cotton. The cotton tends to cling close to the walls of the basket, .fand with thevairintroduced through the -feed chute, and the agitation of' the air by thescrew thread serves additionally to. dry the cotton and force the acid and fumes therefrom.

The hub and its thread are -rotated ata.

high rate-of speed; so alsov is the basket, but the latter is rotated at a slower speed, the relative difference in the speed determinmg the lengthJ of timeli't takes cotton to travel from the plate`8, to the upper end of the basket.

I have found this difference in speed can.

be regulated sothat the cotton can be caused to travel faster Aor slower from the bottom to ,the top of the screw, and at'the samel time f obtain the necessary velocity toA create the required centrifugal force to expel the acid from the cotton. .Y

To illustrate the princi-ple of operation inthe screw are rotated at the Same speed, and cotton has been introduced to thef thread. Undersuch circumstances the-cotton remains in fixed relation between the screw and the.

basket no matter how fast they be revolved.

volved, let it be assumed that the basket and As a further illustration, let. it be assumed vated from the bottom plate 8, to the top of the basket, the rapidity of its movementupwardly being only a question of 'the pitch of the screw,` and the number of revolutions in'lpartedper minute. Obviously, if the screw l-loe rapidly rotated, the cotton would be so quickly elevated from the plate to the top of thc basket that sufficient time would not be allowed for drying and expelling the acid.

Now," according to my invention, lI ap-. I lproximate that the speed of the screw.

should be about'1800 revolutions per minute,

and lthat it-requres .about J'three minutes from`the time'the cotton is introduced -t the plate 8 until it reaches .the top of the basket,l to expel the excess acid, and dry thel-So i cotton. To accomplish this important func? tion, and at the Sametime obtain the necessary centrifugal force, the number of revolutions lper minute of the basket is less than the number of revolutions per minute of the screw, tating in the same direction. Considering the previously cited illustrations, it will be seen that by'v this dierence vin movement, the necessaryK centrifugal action of the cotton is obtained, andat the same time" the y movement of the two elements,

. is under perfect control.

.forated walls of a container or basket, the

cotton in transit is retained within the wringer the 'required time toexpel the excess' acid, the duration of the treatment being` determined' altogether by the relative speed of the two parts. This difference in between which the cotton is confined, isrof the utmost importance,

necessary time required to wring the cotton wringers where` the cotton In gun cotton U thrown against the peris centrifugally cotton packs, 'andseparate mechanism, or a separate operatiomis required to remove it after treatment. With my construction this condition is absent.

l Because ofthe gradually between' the hub, basket, and screw, ton tends to spread as the space in increasing space the cotwhich it is'` conned is constantly changing, and beis subjected to a partial washing. Water 'is contlnuously introduced' into the igutter f through the pipe'QO, and because of the location 'of thenozzles 24, the water flows in two opposite directions toward the outlet -iiue 17, andcarries thetreated'cotton Ioil".

The fumes from the saturated cotton-rise to the top of the basketand are. carried of through the pipe 20, the water seal vin the 'trap 18, preventing the fumes passing through the flue 17. The fumes acid expelled from the cotton in the space 7, and the acid inthe gutter 2, are carried 'oif through the'branch pipe 22, while -the' 4 excess acid in the gutter 2, is carried off through the drain/pi e3, the bottom of the gutter inclining su cl'ently to cause the flow of liquid toward the'pipe.

When the cotton reaches the top of the screw, it is thrown into a space of such area that it separates` and, -as stated, is carried off without stopping the wringing operation, a feature which I regard as of conlsiderable importance, when it is considered hat at present it is customary to remove the treated lcotton by a Separatev operation.

the basket and the screw, however, ro-

inthat the high speed, 'and the the fire to the mass of cotton below.-

troduced to the tube.

The' rapidity of movement of thel cotton, and the frictionit is subjected to by contact with4 the interior 'surface of the wringer soon dries it, and unles means are provided for moving it when i becomes unusually dry,. it ignites, which entails considerable loss. -While under normal conditions. the construction described will keep the cotton moving, and will cause it to' disintegrate sufficiently to prevent this undue heat. Yet there may be a time when the cotton will ignite, and with my construction the fire can be extinguished;y `For instance, let it be supposed that the cotton near the top of the basket should ignite, the point where lire usually occurs, the hand lever 36a is deo pressed, and the clutch member 36 is released, and at the same time the brake 38, is caused to engageA the gear wheel 311, consequently thefspeed of the basket is 'either reduced or stopped. The result is 4the cotton on the screw is caused tol travel faster to the top of the basket and that which is ignited is'quickly thrown into the water in the guty,ter 16".V4 When the basket isstopped, the screw moves the cotton toward the top sorapidly that the ignited cotton cannot cail'gry this means` when the ignited cotton is dels livered to the water, the clutch is again engaged, and the wringer operates as before described. Y j

In the rotation of the 'screw the feeding tube is correspondingly rotated, the saturatedA cottonN being forced or otherwise in- My invention is not limited tonitrating cottonv as it .is'evident that for dehydrating cotton it is only necessary to introduce the .previously treated cotton through thefeed chute, the alcohol being forced through the perforations in the basket, exactly the same -as when expelling the acid.

If it is desired to use the apparatus for steaming, cotton and steam, are introduced 'to the basket through the 'feed -chute, the condensed steam being carried olf like in the case of acid. When using the apparatus for "/dehydrating, or steaming cotton, the fromthe water is removed from the trough 16, and air is blown through the nozzles, or any other conveying means 'may be' employed to carry the treated cotton from thegutter..

From the foregoing description it wille/be seen that I have provided a machinev for expelling excess acid from gun cotton,with

out liability of choking, and one where the cotton aftertreatment is conveyed from the wringer without, stopping the apparatus.

. By the arrangementfdescribed, the acid,i

fumes, and dried cotton, are effectually -sepo varated, and ample provision is provided for v preventing the escape of the fumes.`

What I claim is: l l. In an appara-tus oft'hefclass described,

isc

ton to the interior of the screw, means inclosed within the casing and below the 'top of the basket for receiving and conveying the treated cotton from the top of the screw, and means for rotating the screw and basket at different speeds.

2. In an apparatus/of the-class described, the combination of a casing, a perforated basket rotatably mounted in the casing and spaced from the l walls of the latter, a hollow screw rotatably mounted in the basket,

vone side of the lower edge of the screw being cut away to form an opening below the thread, the lower edge of the thread engaging the .bottom of the basket, means for roy-- tating the basket an'd the screw at differentn 'speeds andin the same direction,means for' :introducing saturated cotton through the screw to the opening therein the bottom of the basket, a cotton receivlng chamber surrounding lthe .upper portion of thecasing, and means for conveying the treated cotton from the receiving chamber.

` 3. In a. -machine of the class described, the combination of an inclosing casing pro--4 vided at its bottom withan inclosed acid receiving gutter, and at its itop with an'inclosedv 'cotton vreceiving chamber, means for introducing water Ito the cotton receiving chamber, a perforated basket inclosed within and spaced from the side walls of the 'casing a hollow screw' mounted within the basket, means for rotating the basket and the screw at diiferent speeds, means for 1ntroducing saturated gun cotton-through one" si'de ofthe botto-m of Ithe screw to the bot- 4tom of the basket, and means. for conveying the-acid fumes from thev cotton receivmg chamber and the gutter.

4. In a machine of the class descrlbed, the

, combination of a casing, a perforated basket mounted in the casing, a hollow hub' formed on its periphery with a spiral thread and formed at one edge of the bottom with ,an opening to communicate with the basket 'for introducing cotton to Ithe bottom ofthe Alatter,'means for introducingsaturated cotton into the hollow hub, a cotton receiving chamber above the screw', and a gutter having water therein belowthe top. of thechamber.

5. In anapparatu-s of the class described,

' the combination of a casing, a rotary perforated basket in the casing, mea-ns in the basket-for elevatingthe cotton when centrifugally thrown by the movement of the basket, a cotton receiving chamber above thebasket, and a gutter at the bottom of the Achamber provided -with water into which the treated cotton falls.

6. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a casing, a perforated basket in the casing, means for rotatingy the basket, and means coperating with the basket for elevating the cotton, said means engaging the bottom of the. basket and formed with an outlet opening adjacent the point of engagement of said means with the bottom of the basket, inclosed means surrounding the casing for receiving the treated cotton, and an inclosed annular gutterin the bottom of the'casing outside the basket for receiving the acid/expelled from the Y cotton. V L

7. In an apparatus of the class described,

ket therein having downwardly tapered perforated walls, hollow rotatable means operlating in the basket to elevate the treated cotton, means for rotating the basket and the rotatable means therein, a chute extending through and rotatable with the hollow rotatable means for introducing cotton to the bottom of the basket, an inclosed annular chamber outside the top part of the" casing into which the treated cotton is thrown, and7 a. gutter below the basket for receiving the liquid expelled from the cotton.

. '85 the"combination of a casing, a rotatable bas' 8. In a machine of the class described thecombination 'of' a hollow rotatable screw formed with an exit atts bottom, a feed chute extending through the hollow screw and rotatable therewith, a perforated basket in which" the screw operates, a cotton receiving chamberI adjacent the top-,of the basket, a gutter in'the bottom of the latter, an exit flue connected to the gutter, means for supplying a'\moving stream of water inthe gutter, 'a' gutter at the bottom of the casing to receive the liquid expelled from the cot# ton, and means communicating with the two gutters for carrying off. fumes.

9. In a. machine of the class described, the'- combinati'on of an inclosing casing provided at its bottom with an inclosed annular gutter, andat its upper end belowthe top with an inclosed annular gutter, a perforated basket having a flange at its upper end and a flange at its lower end, the-upper flange extending over the .upper end of the'casing and the lower flange extending down into the lower gutter, the sides of the basket being spacedv from the casing, a hollow shaft extending l from the basket, .a shaft extendingthrough the hollow shaft and supporting a hollow .screw the thread of which varies in width,

therbottom'of the screw being` cutaway on -one side below the thread to form an exit for cotton, a feed chute' extending into the screw, the screw elevating the treated cotton while centrifugally thrown by the basket, the treated cotton being thrown into the gutter at the top of the casing, means for conveying the cotton from said gutter, and means for conveying the expelled liquid from the lower gutter.

10. In a machine of the class described, the combination with an inclosing casing, a perforated basket spaced from the top of the casing, said space forming a chamber, means in the basket for continuously raising the cotton from the bottom to the top ofthe basket from whence the treated cotton is cen` trifugally thrown into the chamber, means extending through the cotton raising means for introducing cotton to the bottom of the basket, and an inclosed gutter surrounding the bottom of the inclosing casing for carrying olf the liquid expelled from the cotton.

11. In a machine of the classdescribed, the combination of a casing, a basket mounted in and spaced from the walls of the casing, a rotatable screw mounted in the casing, a chute extending through and rotatable with the screw for introducing saturated cotton to the bottom of the basket, an inclosed chamber at the top of the casing into which the treated cotton is delivered, means for conveying the cotton from the chamber, an inclosed gutter surrounding the bottom of the casing to receive the liquid expelled from the cotton, and a flue in which a forced draft is created to draw the fumes from the chamberand the gutter.

12. In a machine of the class described,

the combination of a lcasing, a perforated basket mounted in andlspaced from the casing, a hollow screw mounted in lthe casing tating the shaft, means for rotating the bearing, an inclosed chamber at the top of the casing lto receive the cotton thrown out of the basket, and an inclosed gutter below the casing for conveylng the liquid expelled l from the cotton.

13. In an apparatus of the class described comprising an inclosing casing provided at its upper end with an inclosed gutter and at its lowerl end withvan inclosed gutter, a basket mounted in the casing and snugly embracing the inner upper edge of the lower gutter, a duct connecting with the two gutters to carry .off the fumes, a hollow screw mounted in the basket and provided with an exit at its bottom, means for introducing cotton through the exit to the bottom of the basket, and means for rotating the basket and the hollow screw in the same direction and at different speeds. 't

In testimony whereof I affix my 'signature in the presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE FUSSELL.

Witnesses: Y

DANA E. SHERMAN, FRED. M. WALKER. 

